Pope Francis: Mary embraces all the peoples of the vast expanses of America

(CNA/EWTN News) At the end of his general audience on December 11, Pope Francis reflected on December 12’s feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, extending his greetings to all on the American continent.

He said: “When the image of the Virgin appeared on the tilma of Juan Diego, it was the prophesy of an embrace. This embrace envelops all the peoples of the vast expanses of America – the peoples who already lived there, and those who were yet to come. It is called to be a land prepared to accept human life at every stage, from the mother’s womb to old age; a land which welcomes immigrants, and the poor and the marginalized, in every age. A land of generosity.”